Clarksville High School Summer Assignment
2013-2014
Dual Enrollment English / Nashville State Community College
Website for class: thehirschwrit.shutterfly.com
ASSIGNED READING:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Assignment: The Kite Runner, revised May 2013
Reading Test on novel at the end of first week of school.
The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini
RationaleThe Kite Runner tells the story of a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, who betrayed his best
friend, the son of his father's servant, and lives in regret. The following review from the United Methodist Church
provides some insight into the plot and themes of the novel.
“Beginning in 1978, the story spans more than 20 years—from the end of Afghanistan’s monarchy through the
brutal occupation by the Soviet Union to the atrocities of the Taliban reign. It centers on the improbable friendship
between two young boys, Amir and Hassan. Amir is a bookish dreamer from Kabul’s upper class while Hassan is
the son of his family’s servant from the lower “Hazarra” class. Despite their differences in social status and
education, the two
sacrifice, while the other will respond in weakness, fear and self-protection. Their lives will be marked forever by
these events and their choices, and only after many years will past sins be made right and their deep love come full
circle.”
Directions: Please respond to the questions. Responses should be thorough (at least a paragraph with a minimum of
seven sentences each) and reflect an intellectual insight into the novel. 100 points
Responses MUST be typed, double-spaced in 12pt Times New Roman font.
1.
The novel begins with Amir's memory of peering down an alley, looking for Hassan who is kite running for him. As
Amir peers into the alley, he witnesses a tragedy. The novel ends with Amir kite running for Hassan's son, Sohrab,
as he begins a new life with Amir in America. What is a frame story, and why do you think the author chooses to
frame the novel with these scenes?
Refer to the following passage: "Afghans like to say: Life goes on, unmindful of beginning, end...crisis or catharsis,
moving forward like a slow, dusty caravan of kochis [nomads]." How is this significant to the framing of the novel?
2.
What is the significance of the irony in the first story that Amir writes? After hearing Amir's story, Hassan asks,
"Why did the man kill his wife? In fact, why did he ever have to feel sad to shed tears? Couldn't he have just smelled
an onion?" How is his reaction to the story a metaphor for Amir's life? How does this story epitomize the difference
in character between Hassan and Amir?
3.
As Amir remembers an Afghan celebration in which a sheep must be sacrificed, he talks about seeing the sheep's
eyes moments before its death. "I don't know why I watch this yearly ritual in our backyard; my nightmares persist
long after the bloodstains on the grass have faded. But I always watch, I watch because of that look of acceptance in
the animal's eyes. Absurdly, I imagine the animal understands. I imagine the animal sees that its imminent demise is
for a higher purpose." Why do you think Amir recalls this memory when he witnesses Hassan's tragedy in the
alleyway? Amir recollects the memory again toward the end of the novel when he sees Sohrab in the home of the
Taliban. Discuss the image in the context of the novel.
4.
Early in Amir and Hassan's friendship, they often visit a pomegranate tree where they spend hours reading and
playing. "One summer day, I used one of Ali's kitchen knives to carve our names on it: 'Amir and Hassan, the
sultans of Kabul.' Those words made it formal: the tree was ours." In a letter to Amir later in the story, Hassan
mentions that "the tree hasn't borne fruit in years." Discuss the significance of this tree and that “the tree hasn’t
borne fruit in years.”
5.
While in the hospital in Peshawar, Amir has a dream in which he sees his father wrestling a bear: "They role over a
patch of grass, man and beast...they fall to the ground with a loud thud and Baba is sitting on the bear's chest, his
fingers digging in its snout. He looks up at me, and I see. He's me. I am wrestling the bear." Why is this dream so
important at this point in the story? What does this dream finally help Amir realize?
In addition, explain the bear metaphor in literature. You may use internet sources in your search for an explanation.
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